However, after four months, no action has been taken and the Conservatives were frustrated that the standards committee's recommendations had seemingly been ignored by the Labour group.

The Conservatives have been calling for Mr Banwait to take action and attempted to force the issue at today’s personnel committee meeting, provoking uproar.

Councillor Gulfraz Nawaz chairs the personnel committee meeting with Jackie Dominiczak, democratic services officer, at the side of him

Tory councillor Mick Barker asked to read a statement before the meeting began but was shouted down seconds into his speech by Labour councillors on the committee and democratic services officer Jackie Dominiczak, who suspended the meeting.

Before they walked out, Mr Barker said: “I call upon Councillor Nawaz to consider his position and do the honourable thing and resign before we start the meeting.”

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A show of hands took place and the motion was lost 4-3 - with one abstention, from Liberal Democrat councillor Mike Carr.

Afterwards, Mr Nawaz said he did not want to comment in detail about the meeting but said: “The standards committee made its recommendations to the group leader Councillor Banwait and so it is up to him to decide what happens. Until he says differently, I will carry on doing my job.”

If Mr Nawaz was stopped from being chairman of the personnel committee because of the “seriousness of the breach of council rules”, he would lose an annual allowance of £7,557 for being chairman.

Mr Barker said that the personnel committee had members who were also on the standards committee and had seen what had happened when Mr Nawaz had been found in breach of the council rules.

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He said: “Clearly, it was more important for people to vote on party lines at the personnel meeting which was disappointing.

“But we will not be letting this go and we wanted to raise the profile of this issue and bring it to people’s attention.

“Ignoring the recommendations of the standards committee makes it totally ineffectual as a check on councillor behaviour.”

The council's legal department is involved in the original complaints and ensures they reach the standards committee. Acting on the recommendations of the standards committee is down to the leader of the appropriate political group involved.

The Derby Telegraph has asked Mr Banwait, or a senior member of the Labour group, to comment on Mr Nawaz’s situation.